Date(s): Thursday, Sept. 3-Saturday, Sept. 5
Tournament: Wildcat Classic hosted by Davidson University
Opponents: Davidson, New Mexico State, Lindenwood
Time(s): 7 p.m., 5 p.m., 2 p.m.
Location: John M. Belk Arena
A&T Team Leaders:
Kills: Niaya Sawtelle (4.35 per set)
Digs: Morgan Allen (3.53 per set)
Assists: Chiara Napoli (4.88 per set)
Blocks: Mallory Porcher (1.00 per set)
Hitting Percentage: Naiya Sawtelle (.311)
A&T CAA Leaders (Top-10)
Kills: Niaya Sawtelle (4.35 per set) – 2nd
Digs: Morgan Allen (3.53 per set) – 6th
Assists: Chiara Napoli (4.88 per set) – 9th
Blocks: Mallory Porcher (1.00 per set) – T-4th
Hitting Percentage: Naiya Sawtelle (.311) – 9th
NORTH CAROLINA A&T (3-1, 0-0 CAA): North Carolina A&T looks to extend its three-match winning streak this weekend with three matches at the Wildcat Classic.
The Aggies winning streak was sparked by Naiya Sawtelle (Stuart, Fla.). She made A&T athletics history by becoming the first Aggie to win a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) weekly honor when she captured offensive player of the week honors from the league on Monday.
Sawtelle leads the CAA with 74 kills, followed by teammate Hannah Howell (St. Louis Park, Minn.) with 53. The sophomore duo has helped lead the Aggies after the team dropped the season opener to Coppin State at Moore Gymnasium during the Aggie-Spartan Invitational.
But A&T rebounded to defeat Bethune-Cookman in three sets, UNC Greensboro in five, and North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in four. The win over UNCG marked the Aggies first win over the Spartans since 2001, which ended a 17-match losing streak. Meanwhile, the victory over NCCU extended the Aggies win streak over their longtime rival to 11.
Head coach Hal Clifton enters his 12th season as the leader of the Aggies and has posted a 112-187 overall record. However, in the last five seasons, Clifton has led the Aggies to a 76-54 (.585) record and at least a .500 winning percentage in the previous four.
DAVIDSON WILDCATS (2-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10): Davidson also lost its season opener, 3-0, to Coastal Carolina, but defeated CAA opponent UNC Wilmington, 3-1, and Virginia Tech, 3-1. Hattie Rodriguez leads the Wildcats in kills per set (3.27), and Xuan Nguyen is the team's leader in assists per set (5.25). Bella Brady leads the team in digs per set (5.37), and Anela Davis leads with 1.16 blocks per set.
Chris Willis is in his 11th season at Davidson. Davidson finished 14-12 overall and 10-6 in A-10 play last season, marking their best finish since 2013 and the best season in A-10 in program history.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (2-1, 0-0 WAC): The Aggies won both matches in straight sets and lost to Arizona in straight sets.
Katie Birtcil leads the Aggies in kills per set (3.33), and Bianca Perez is the team's leader in assists per set (5.11). Darian Markham leads the team in digs per set (4.89), and Lia Mosher leads with 1.11 blocks per set.
Mike Jordan enters his 25th season as the head coach and is the winningest coach in program history. Last season, NMSU won its third-straight Western Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship and earned a spot in the 2021 National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
LINDENWOOD LIONS (2-1, 0-0 OVC): Lindenwood began the Division I era with two wins against Canisius (3-0) and Western Illinois (3-1). The Lions finished the tournament with a straight-set loss to host Purdue Fort Wayne.
Taylor Gentemann leads the Lions in kills per set (3.50), and Allie Otten is the team's leader in assists per set (10.80). Jessie Seidel leads the team in digs per set (5.14), and Rebecca Janke leads with 1.50 blocks per set.
Will Condon enters his sixth season as the head coach. He led the Lions to their first-ever appearance in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Volleyball championship final in 2020.
THE SERIES: Davidson leads the series 13-2 and has won the last eight matches, including a straight-set win in the previous meeting in 2019. The last A-10 win for the Aggies was last season, a straight-set win against George Mason in Blacksburg, Va.
A&T and New Mexico State will meet for the first time this weekend. The last WAC school the Aggies played was Chicago State in 2014, as Chicago State came away with a 3-2 win.
A&T will also play Lindenwood for the first time. The last OVC school the Aggies played was Eastern Kentucky in 2019, a 3-0 loss.
CAREER NOTES:
